12 gainsay these claims. They are matters of opinion. There have appeared of late suggestions for starting inter-scholastic matches for a challenge cup. Doubtless these contests would be full of interest, but they do not appear to me in any way practicable, and moreover, if they took place, would be very unsatisfactory as tests of a school's true position. The difference of grounds, the uncertainty of weather, the accidents of ill health, the claims of examin­ ations, would cause such in and out running, that it would be as difficult as ever to assign to each school its proper rank. To a certain extent the doings of past pupils are a guide to the style of cricket taught at schools, and for this test we must look to the chief matches of the season—the Gentlemen and Players, the University match, and County cricket; but even this is not an infallible test. There are schools whose cricket representatives seldom go to the Universities. They go to business, to Liverpool, Manchester, and such like ; they go to India, into the army, and their strength is hidden from the critic’s gaze, but yet they show the signs of good sound teaching, and, in their own sphere, fully sustain the credit of their school. On looking at the chief cricket matches of the season we must give the inference to the older public schools. In the Gentlemen and P layed match at Lord’s, Eton was represented by A. W. Ridley, Lord Harris, C. J. Oitaway, and the Hon. A. Lyttelton; while Harrow supplied A. N. Hornby, A. J. Webbc, and W. H. Hadow ; no other large school being represented. In the match at the Oval, A. P. Lucas of Uppingham, I. D. Walker of Harrow, and E. F. S. Tylecote of Clifton, played; and in the eleven at Prince’s (whichwas a much stronger one than usual), W. S. Patterson of Uppingham andO. H. Longrflan of Eton found places besides some of the above-mentioned. In the University match the older schools are not so pre-eminent. The Hons. E. and A. Lyttelton on the Cambridge side, and F. M. Buckland for Oxford, represented Eton ; while Harrow had an equal number—W. Blacker among the light blue, A. J. Webbe and T. S. Dury in the Oxford ranks. Winchester had a good representative in Briggs. Uppingham stands in the front rank with four champions in the Cambridge team—A. P. Lucas, W. S. Patterson, D. Q. Steel, and H. T. Ludding- ton, and to them in great measure does Cambridge owe her victory. Between them they scored 225 and obtained 1G wickets, a great performance for representatives of one school, and one which reflects immense credit upon H. H. Stephenson and the system which he lias developed at Uppingham, Heath and Tylecote hailed from Clifton; while Rugby, Cheltenham, Haileybury, Rossall, Sherborne, were represented by A. W. Pearson, II. T. Alisopp, V. K. Shaw\ V. Royle, and W. H. Game, respectively. The principal public school performers in County cricket are, I. D. Walker, A. J. Webbe, It. Henderson, C. F. Buller, and W. H. Hadow of Harrow, for Middlesex, for which county also C. J. Ottaway, ami C. J. Thornton, of Eton, C. K. Francis, an old Rugbeian ; M. Turner of Cheltenham, C. E. Green of Uppingham have done good service. Kent has had the valuable services of Lord Harris (Eton), W. Yardley (Rugby), V. K. Shaw (Haileybury). G. 1J Longman, and A. W. Ridley (both Etonians), and 0. Booth (Rugby) have helped to raise Hants to a high position among the counties. Gloucestershire recruits her strength from Clifton and Cheltenham colleges, while this year he has added to her forces an old Rugbeian, W. O. Moborley, wTio lias proved himself a first-class bat, and A. Chandler of Cheltenham, A. P. Lucas, of Uppingham, and W. H. Game of Sherborne, have been of great assistance to Surrey. V. Royle of Rossall, D. Q. Steel of Uppingham, and A. N. Hornby of Harrow', are the chief public schools men in the Lancashire eleven. How is it, we would ask, that in most of these matches the best gentlemen bowlera are not from our public schools. The most successful amateur bowlers are the Messrs. Grace, A. Appleby, W. Foord-Kelcey; if we add the